Lainey Wilson Kicks Off CMA Awards With Star-Studded Medley
on Nov 19, 2025
Lainey Wilson became only the third woman to ever host the CMA Awards solo during Wednesday night’s annual show.
It was Lainey Wilson night at the 59th Annual CMA Awards. The “4x4xU” singer not only won three of the night’s biggest awards, including Album of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year, but she also had hosting duties.
After co-hosting with Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning in 2024, Lainey Wilson went solo for the 2025 gig. It marked the first time in 34 years that a woman hosted the event alone and only the third time in the history of the CMA Awards that a female had the honor. Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton each hosted the event previously.
The pressure was on Lainey Wilson, but she delivered.
For her opening monologue, Wilson gave a shoutout to her hometown of Baskin, Louisiana, saying, “Ever since I was a little girl, country music has been a huge part of my world. It was more than a genre, it’s a way of life.”
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She added that she grew up watching the CMAs and being asked to host the event made “little Lainey” proud.
Lainey invited Charlie Worsham to join her on stage to accompany her on guitar as she sang a medley of country hits.
The medley started with a cover of Chris Stapleton’s “White Horse” followed by “Hillbilly Deluxe” by Brooks & Dunn.
Wilson made her way into the crowd, coming face-to-face with the artists whose songs she was singing. Ella Langley was treated to a Lainey cover of “u look like u love me,” and Lainey sang Gretchen Wilson’s “Redneck Woman.”
Lainey made her way to Lady A as she sang their hit song, “Need You Now” before making her way to Miranda Lambert who stood up to help Lainey sing “Gunpower & Lead.”
The medley continued with Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” before Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush.” The group joined Lainey to sing their hit song.
The crowd was surprised when Keith Urban rushed onto the stage with his guitar to sing his 1999 release “Where The Blacktop Ends” with the host.
Watch Lainey Wilson’s entertaining CMA Awards opening in the video below.
